Locking singletree-hook.



Patented Nov. 19, l90l.

J. LEWIS.

LOCKING SINGLETBEE HOOK.

(Application mea Apr. 19, 1901.

(No Model.)

THE "dams PEIERs co. wmmjn uou msamsrou, o. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JESSE LEWIS, OF SIBLEY, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FOURTHS TO WALTERBANOROFT STEVENS, OF SIBLEY, IOWA, AND CHARLES S. MCLAURY,'OF

SHELDON, IOWA.

LOCKING SINGLETREE-HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 687,160, datedNovember 19, 1901.

Application filed April 19, 1901.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JESSE LEWIS, a citizen a locking singletree-hook ofsimple, strong,

' durable, and inexpensive construction which may be applied to the endof a harness-trace in lieu of the usual co'ckeye and be readily andquickly attached or detached from the singletree, and when in use willthrow the strain of the pull entirely upon the end of the singletree,and the device will stand in' a position when in use so that it may notreadily become caught in the harness or other parts and cannot be easilybroken or diszo placed; and my objectis, further, to providea device ofthis class which when locked cannot become detached by any strains orpulls to which such hooks are ordinarily subjectedas, for instance, ingoing down a hill with the traces slack, swaying from side to side.

My invention consists in certain details in the construction,arrangement, and combination of the device whereby the objectscontemplated are attained, as hereinafter more 0 fully set forth,pointed out in my claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 shows a top or plan view of the end of the singletreewith my device attached thereto and also the end of a trace with theother part of the device connected therewith and in posit-ion adjacentto the part of the singletree. Fig. 2 shows an end elevation, with partsbroken away, of the device in its 0 locked position.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

I have used the reference-numeral 25 to indicateasocket attached to theend of the singletree and having a rearward flat extension 26 5 thereon,provided with a vertical slot 27 in its rear end. Mounted in the centralportion of this rearward extension is a turning-block 28, made of onepiece of metal and forged into said central portion, said turning-block5o 28 having a slot 29 therein designed to coin- Serial No. 56,586. (Nomodel.)

of up-and-down movement. Y

The numeral 30 is used to indicate a metal loop of a size designed toadmit the end of "the singletree. At its rear end is a straight flatsurface 31 of a size and shape designed to enter the slots 27 and 29andlto be wholly contained within the slot 29. At the forward end of theloop 30 is a detachable screw 32, which is designed to pass through theend of the trace in lieu of the usual screw in a cockeye. To preventoscillation of the loop 30, I providea notch 33 opposite the straightflat surface 31.

In practical use the loop is connected with the trace, as set forth, andthe socket is attached to the singletree, as shown, and extendedrearwardly, and when it is desired to attach the trace on the singletreethe rear end of the trace is bent, as shown in Fig.2, and the straightedge 31 passed through the 7 slot 27 into the slot 29. Then the loop 30is '75 turned to overlap the end of the singletree and the trace isextended straight forwardly.

When in this position, it is obvious that all the pulls upon the tracewill be transmitted direct to the rear edge of the singletree, and,further, that the said loop cannot become detached until the trace isslackened and the loop moved to a position extended straight Irearwardly. It is obvious that this position cannot be assumed by theloop inany of the usual uses to which the trace is subjected, but mustbe moved rearwardly by hand in order to be detached. Furthermore,

the device is of simple, strong, and durable construction and there areno parts which can become entangled with the harness.

I claim as my invention- In a locking singletree-hook, a socket, aprojection on the rear end thereof having a. rounded opening therein anda slot opening 5 rearwardly from said opening, the upper and lower edgesof said opening beveled, a turning-block made of one piece of metal andnotched radially mounted for rotation in said rounded opening, saidturning-block having a grooved periphery adapted to fit snugly the saidrounded opening therein to limit and walls of said rounded opening, incornbinadetermine oscillation of said loop on the pe- 10 tion with aloop attached to a trace and arriphery of said socket. ranged to entersaid slot in the projection 5 and seat in the notch of and turn with theJESSE LEWIS block, the inner edge of said 100p formed with Witnesses: anotch on the median line thereof to receive J AS. CHIDEsTER', the saidprojection at the innermost edge of H. O. LUCAS.

